Dutch May Vote to Ban the Burka

Netherlands Parliament to decide whether face-covering garb should be outlawed.

by Lesley Kennedy • MORE.com Reporter

It’s time for everyone in the Netherlands to face the public—literally.

Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Verhagen has announced that the country’s Parliament will soon vote on a measure that would ban the burka and other clothing that covers the face, the Associated Press reports.

The passage of such a ban (similar measures have passed already in Belgium and France), however, is pretty much symbolic, according to the news service, which notes a mere 300 or so women in the Netherlands even wear the Islamic garb to begin with.

And not everyone thinks the ban is good idea. The news service reports the Dutch Council of State warned it could be an affront to religious freedom.

What do you think? Does a burka go against gender equality, or is it a religious choice up to individuals? Leave a comment below!